The Lone Sister
by Baran3
Summary: A Fallout 4 story. A modified self-insert in the same family as the original Sole Survivor... Except that she is now the Sole Survivor. And while she played Fallout 1, 2 & 3, she never played New Vegas and Fallout 4.
1. Prologue

**THE LONE SISTER**

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this fic.

Note: I read quite a few self-insert or other character stories within the universe of Fallout.

I simply joined the group. This is a classical ROB entry self-insert in the Fallout 4 universe.

Please note that the character is a modified SI and so more of an other character. The character is also someone who knows and played only Fallout 1, 2 & 3\. No New Vegas and Fallout 4 knowledge apart from some internet knowledge.

 **Prologue: "War... War never changes..."**

One would be also tempted to say that "A ROB... A ROB never changes..."

Random Omniscient Beings were... random at best. They, on average, delighted in taking authors or their dimensional counterparts and throw them into the series the author likes a lot or that they were about to write a fan-fiction on.

Saying who I was wouldn't be useful since I was now someone else with another set of memories from someone else... Yeah, really useful to know...

My father was born in 2040, my mother one year later. They married pretty young and I was born when my father was 21. Due to economic needs, my father Nate, then joined the US Army serving with the 108th Infantry Regiment while my mother Nora, balanced her time between me and her law studies... One needs to earn money to put bread on the table.

You could say that War was in the blood of my family. My great great great grandfather was actually a soldier during World War 2 and participated in the most bloody battles of that era... for his son that he never even seen born... My father family side kept a few items, almost religiously maintained in good condition. A few trophies from the battlefields of Europe and Asia, remnants of a passed bloody History. As for me, my trans-dimensional memories were of someone who did 2 years in the French Army as a Transmission Officer specialized in NBC instruction.

To understand correctly this world, you must know that it is an Altered History Parallel World. The change was just after America won the war by launching 2 atomic bombs on Japan. Instead of fearing it, this world engaged in an unprecedented research to really master Atomic Energy.

This almost unlimited power source launched up Science into a realm near science-fiction: Robots with functioning AI, fusion-powered vehicles and portable computers (with a very different approach and look than ours). A paradise on Earth...

With a sick and twisted problem. All this mass consummation depleted the natural resources WORLDWIDE. The whole planet then erupted into conflict as countries fought for dwindling resources.

We are now the 23 October 2077, my name is Alice Lindberg and I am the 16 years old elder sister of the young Shaun born almost a year ago. My father recently came back from the ten years long ongoing war... and because of my true origins... I know that soon, very soon, this whole world will be incinerated into the nuclear fires of Total War as the USA locked horns with Communist China and... I'm terrified... for me, my parents and my younger brother...

For if my father did teach me only one important thing is that War... War never changes.

* * *

One other thing that never changed was also waiting for the bathroom to be free in the morning.

"Come on! Dad, Mum! Don't hog the bathroom... Every morning, it's the same circus." Inside the room, I could hear my parents chuckled at my whining. My father kept his strict military physical regimen and was always first up every morning. Mum, who couldn't sleep while Dad was doing his calisthenics, followed him closely. They were discussing the Veteran Meeting of tonight in Boston where my father was supposed to deliver a speech.

Finally, they get out and I promptly entered and closed the door before they could change their mind. I could hear Mum laughing when Dad said that I was really like her in character. I wiped the mirror of the accumulated steam and gazed upon a 16 years old teenager with a swimmer build, long black hair that I generally put up into a ponytail and green eyes. I shook my head and rapidly washed myself.

I left the bathroom, feeling a little more human. I was clothed in shorts, t-shirt (Nuka-Girl edition) and slippers with a towel around my neck. I went to our domestic robot, a Mr. Handy unit called Codsworth, to end my morning ritual with a cup of tea and a bottle of Nuka-Cola... Probably the only vice I had in this life was an almost addiction to this particular beverage... At least I was prudent with my consumption of the very rare Quantum Nuka-Cola... I didn't want to have glowing-pee-in-the-dark for more than a week...

Our house was the American standard for a standard family, "The House of Tomorrow": One fusion-powered car, the main room with an open kitchen, a bathroom, two bedrooms (yep, I was currently roommate with my baby brother) and a laundry. Dad projected to have a garage build with my future bedroom on the top.

Speaking of my brother, he was crying and Codsworth went to change his diaper. I sit in front of the TV as Mum commented on her nerves at first to let a robot take care of her baby child especially since I could take care of him. Nothing new on any channels, the same propaganda as always, even the weather report talked about our own troops doing well against the Chinese communists in South-East Asia.

I heard the door bell and went to see who it was. Mum thought it was that creepy salesman who tried to meet Dad for several days now.

"Good morning. Vault-Tec calling..." It was the same creepy guy with a creepy smile, a horrible yellow hat and trench-coat... Talk about fashion disaster.

I began to shut the door. "Sorry, Mister. We need nothing from you."

He waved his hands. "No! No! I'm not here to sell something. I'm here to give you something."

My Dad went behind me. "It's okay, Alice. I'll deal with that."

I raised an eyebrow at him but came back in front of the TV. Apparently, because of Father's services to our country, our entire family has been preselected for entrance into the local Vault numbered 111. My eyes narrowed and my hands grasped for an imaginary big wrench to explain a few things to this human rat. I knew that ALL the Vaults built by Vault-Tec were fucking social experiments on their inhabitants... Of course, saying that I knew that because of a video game... "Great, we can't possibly miss that and wait for the world end..." I blushed when I remarked that I said that sarcasm out loud. My parents and the salesman chuckled although his laugh sounded... forced. Dad wrote a few things on the form presented by the salesman and Mum said that it was more for our peace of mind after the departure of the yellow fellow.

Dad approved as no price from him was too high for our safety. I heard my brother still crying and get up to assist Codsworth. Sometimes a Big Sister's touch was required. I went to his crib. Shaun was a beautiful boy with the blue eyes of my father and the wavy brown hair of my mother. He also had the same birthmark as me: A star right on his inner left forearm. I played peekaboo with him while Dad activated the mobile built in his crib.

Mum and Dad spoke as we played with our little treasure. Dad seemed to think that going to the park with only Mum was a good idea. I gagged. "Get a room, you two."

Dad almost pouted and Mum reminded him that they still had to put out the Halloween decorations. And then Codsworth's voice reached us and asked to come quickly. There was an undercurrent urgency in its tone that I never heard before.

We reached the main room to hear the TV commentator reading from various messages. His voice seemed bewildered as if he couldn't believe what he was reading.

"...followed by... Yes... Flashes, blinding flashes... Sounds of explosions...We are trying to learn more. We just lost contact with some of our other stations... Confirmed reports, I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania... Oh my god..." The image was suddenly cut off and the logo of Please Stand By replaced it and I heard a sound that transformed my blood into ice, the sound of air-raid sirens.

I found myself running outdoors along with my family, Dad was behind us, pushing us along the path. Shaun was in the arms of Mum. I had still my towel around my neck. I could hear the PA urging the inhabitants of Sanctuary hills to immediately go to Vault 111 if... if they were registered... Around me, I could see and hear my neighbors, my friends from school, everyone I have known for 16 years running panicked. Near the bridge over the river was a couple having a dispute about their luggage. We passed the publicity panel of Vault-Tec about preparing for the future...

At the fence of the vault was a military checkpoint with 2 military power armors armed with a mini-gun and a laser rifle. A military officer was preventing people not on his list from entering the premises. I blinked as the yellow Vault-Tec salesman was prevented from entrance, the power armors even pointed their weapons at him... Talk about irony... Still, the officer was plainly saying that only the registered could enter, the others were enjoined to go back to their home... and then what..? Waiting for certain death..?

Our family passed through desperate people. Some were crying, a few couples were embracing, some were sitting on the ground, visibly waiting for death,... They were my neighbors, my friends, people, humans,... They were... They were already dead...

Dad reached the officer and asked for entry as we were registered. The military man checked and let us pass. I felt numb as I could hear the voices of the people I knew pleading to them, to us... A Vault-Tec security guard (recognizable to his blue uniform) escorted us to the entrance of the vault... Mum asked what was going to happen to the others... A vertibird was hovering around us as we reached the entry platform of the vault along with 5 of our neighbors.

Dad hugged us as we stopped and tried to reassure us, that everything will be alright. Mum just said that she loved us.

And then there was a flash of light, I instinctively ducked down and covered my head like I learned to do in the regular training drills at school as my skin felt like I was too close to a sun lamp. I could feel the powerful arms of my father around us and the warmth of my mother nearby, I could hear my baby brother crying and another sound...

I opened my eyes to something that I would carry like a scar in my soul forever. An image that so far I only knew from documentaries from my original world: An atomic mushroom cloud sinisterly developing upon our immediate horizon. The platform under me began to descent as I gazed upon the shock-wave of the explosion rushing towards us. Hurricane-strength winds raged above us as the gates closed and the elevator continued its descent.

As we descended, I recognized Mr. Russel, Mr & Mrs. Whitfield and Mr & Mrs. Able from our little town. We made it, but for the others...

Security guards guided us towards the entry of the vault, I recognized the characteristic shape of the Gear-Door. A guard was noting down the sex and age category of those entering. A woman clad in the famous blue vault jumpsuit was distributing identically packaged jumpsuits to the people entering. Our family took the offered jumpsuits, funnily, even Shaun had a suit for his size and the woman asked us to follow a Vault-Tec doctor and he will show us where to go.

When the doctor had the gall to praise the facility, I momentarily lost control of myself and whirled to him, my hatred, sublimed by the shock of the situation, escaping through my eyes. So much hatred that he faltered and jumped back from me. Only the contact of my Dad's hand and his voice managed to stop me from jumping on this scum and strangled him. When we arrived in another room, I have managed to regain a semblance of control, but I knew... I knew that my family has just jumped from the frying pan into the fire as Vault-Tec couldn't be trusted under no circumstances.

We entered a room with row of... pods? The doctor explained that before we were to go to our new dwelling, a medical exam and decontamination was necessary. The pods were big enough for an adult with place to spare... What was alarming to my eyes were the cold conduits steaming in the warm air on each of them.

The doctors put us under a full medical check-up and then made us put on our jumpsuits before stepping into the "decontamination pod". I hesitated as a bad feeling was intensifying but I couldn't let my family down. The jumpsuits were of an adaptable fiber that was one-size-suit-all They were also supposed to be energy and radiation resistant and of course, I could only have my underwear under it.

I smiled to Dad and Mum and kissed them and Shaun before entering the pod. I could see Dad, Mum and Shaun in two other pods in front of me. Then the computer voice resounded in my pod.

"Occupant vitals... normal. Procedure complete... in 10...9...8...7..." It was then that the cryogenization process seized me and I swore in my head. If anything happened to my family, I will have revenge in the most bloody way I could conceive. As the artificial sleep took me I heard the voice continuing its countdown. "...6...5...4...3...2..." And then everything went white for a fraction of Eternity.

After a few instants, I realized that I was slowly coming back to consciousness. I could see the frozen window of my so-called decontamination pod and the vague shapes of the pods holding my family.

"This is the one." A feminine shape pointed at the pod holding Mum and Shaun... I thought she was clothed in a hazmat suit.

A bald man clothed in leathers..? approached the right of the pod. "Open it."

The woman activated controls on the left of the pod and both the pods holding my family opened. The voice of the man sounded again, with irritation..? "Why is the other pod opening?"

The woman shook her head. "Probably a short-circuit in those old controls."

I could see my parents moving, shaking and coughing. The sound of Shaun crying... Never thought I would find this sound so beautiful.

"Is it over..?" The voice of my mother, so weak...

"Almost," said the man. "Don't worry about it."

The woman seemed to want to take Shaun out of the arms of Mum. Dad said that they could handle it. Mum refused to let go of her child.

"Let the boy go. I'll not repeat myself." The voice of the bald man became abruptly threatening. My heart hammered in my chest as he pointed a weapon at Mum.

"What the hell do you think..?!" Dad moved and reached for the bald man. A shot... two... Blood splattered the interior of two pods. The bald man just shot my parents... HE SHOT THEM! I began to hyperventilate.

The bald man closed the two pods and nodded to the woman who was taking away... SHE WAS TAKING AWAY MY BABY BROTHER! "Take the baby and go to the Center." He approached my pod and I engraved his features in my mind. Bald at the top, short black hair with some gray, black eyes, in his forties-fifties, a scar on his left running from above his eye to his lower cheek and a big handgun looking a lot like a .44 Magnum. He looked straight at me. "At least, we still have the backup."

Then the damned voice of the computer announced the re-initialization of the cryogenic sequence and the white void seized anew my consciousness... But not for long as I awoke, coughing... I had great difficulty breathing.

I punched at the door of my pod and it opened. I heard the computer announcing a critical failure in the general cryogenic unit and that we had to evacuate immediately... Wait until I found your server and a wrench...

I fell on the ground, I was so weak, everything was still blurry. I managed to get up and wobbled to the pods of my parents. I activated the opening controls and regretted it. Up until now, I hoped that they were merely wounded, still alive, but... No hope for that, the two head wounds weren't survivable...

I don't know how long I stayed on my knees before the frozen corpses of my mother and father... Why..? WHY..?! I managed to get up again and slowly reached for the only things I could salvage from them: Their wedding rings, the only things they kept. Before I closed the... coffins of my parents, I made an oath. "I will find the responsible and I will find Shaun, I promise..."

The damn computer still barked about the critical failure of the cryogenic unit and that all the inhabitants of the Vault must evacuate. The inhabitants..?

I checked and saw that all the pods still held my neighbors. I found the computer system and log in... Oh no... no... All the vital signs of the pods read negative... The computer listed the cause of death for all via asphyxia because the life support system has been cut off... There was also an entry about a remote access from an unknown external source...

I walked to the exit door and entered the rest of the vault. Other rooms contained occupied pods but the computer listed all occupants as dead... for the same reason as the pods where I was... Curious... According to what I was reading, my parents and I should also have been dead by asphyxia...

I finally reached the living sections of the vault with the generators... I heard a light screeching sound and thought there was movement behind a reinforced window, but nothing suspect... So far... My nerves..? I hoped so...

It was then that I felt mandibles pinching strongly my calf. My leg kicked out and I splattered on the wall... a giant roach..?! "Rad-roaches..? So early..?!" How could I saw the ubiquitous giant insect of the Fallout series now? They were the product of radiations, of mutations... Oh god... How long was I under the ice..?

I had to fight against two others rad-roaches before I found my first human skeleton. He was clad in a chewed blue vault suit numbered 111 like mine, but... A human doesn't decompose into such a skeleton for a long time... A very long time... "What happened here..? Where are the others..?"

I finally found a weapon: A telescopic baton, standard melee weapon of a security guard and better to deal with the rad-roaches I continued to encounter. Rad-roaches ichor was gross.

Ha! Jackpot! The Overseer office... And he was waiting for me, in the form of his skeleton... I had the creepy feeling that his skull was looking at me... I opened his computer and found what I was dreading about this vault: Instructions from Vault-Tec about the experimentation in Vault 111. We were supposed to be cryogenized and kept under the ice until the overseer received instructions from Vault-Tec... Of course, they never received anything and it seemed that a riot among the staff about a shortage of food killed everyone... At least, I had the secret evacuation tunnel of the Overseer to escape the facility. I also found another weapon: A standard 10 mm pistol which helped me greatly for exterminating the rad-roaches between me and the exit.

Once the Vault was cleaned of the vermin, I checked all corners for everything salvageable. No clean water or food as I feared, but some ammo, cigarette cartons, stimpaks and bobby pins... I had a bittersweet smile at them. If my father could only teach me some of the skills he learned in the Army, my mother taught me how to open a lock with a bobby pin and a screwdriver... The product of a misspent youth, she called it. She also taught me how to hack computers as sometimes, information couldn't be found legally.

It was also from another skeleton that I obtained my most precious possession: An authentic and functional Pip-Boy 3000. The means to use the very useful VATS or Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System. It also was my key for exiting this tomb. I triggered the opening sequence of the main door and rapidly entered the main elevator. Too bad I didn't find the computer server and bashed it as I heard its voice again. "Enjoy your return to the surface and thank you for choosing Vault-Tec."

* * *

Name: Alice Lindberg.

Level: 1.

Age: 16.

Hair: Black. Eyes: Green.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L:

Strength: 4. Perception: 4. Endurance: 4. Charisma: 4. Intelligence: 4. Agility: 4. Luck: 4.

Damage resistance: 0. Energy resistance: 5. Radiation resistance: 10.

Notable possessions:

Pip-Boy 3000 mark IV and 2 wedding rings.

Current Apparel:

Vault-Tec jumpsuit.

Current favorite weapons:

10 mm pistol and security baton.

Achievement Unlocked: War never changes.


	2. Chapter 1: Doubly out of time

**THE LONE SISTER**

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this fic.

 **Chapter 1: Doubly out of time.**

The first thing I saw was... nothing. My eyes were too adapted to the underground vault that the light of the sun blinded me.

Little by little the landscape gained into details. A wasteland... There wasn't even one leaf of healthy green anywhere, just some brown, gray and orange. Only trees and mutated plants trying to grow into the irradiated soil. Ruined roads, rusted skeletons of buildings and dilapidated houses...

I was petrified. Seeing the Fallout wasteland on a screen is a poor substitute for reality. I couldn't hear a sound except for some crows. It was only the sensation of thirst and hunger that decided me to move. I needed to find uncontaminated food and water first, then a shelter and then learn about the area and only then could I plan on finding my baby brother.

The area around the entrance to Vault 111 had a few things I could salvage. Valuable medicines mainly, but I also found some more ammo and magazines for my pistol and a small backpack. The only box of Cram I found was unfortunately slightly radioactive and yet still comestible. Thanks for my Pip-Boy which could make a full inventory of what I have and their conditions.

It was with a heavy heart that I took the path towards Sanctuary Hills, where my... home was located. I passed the checkpoint where the military allowed only the preselected people into the Vault. Oh god... Their skeletons were still there, the skeletons of people who were my neighbors and my classmates... I forced myself to not touch them, to not recognize them (It was the favorite green dress of Lucy, a classmate, on that one... Don't look, don't look!) and to not shed tears as I needed to conserve my precious water.

I passed the wooden bridge, remembering the couple with the luggage and checked the water... Irradiated as I feared. Curiously, the background radiation was elevated, compared to before the war, but still within the non-dangerous level... How could that be as I would never forget the initial nuclear blast... The half-life period of the nuclear fallout should have made this place hot, very hot for a long, long time... I didn't want to think on what that meant about the time passed since my cryogenization.

I finally reached the ruins of Sanctuary and walked slowly towards my house. Ghost sounds and illusions of the past danced before my eyes... The ball from Timmy, the little boy of the Clark... The perfect garden of Miss Appleton... The sound of the Harrison's car... A Mr. Handy trimming the lawn...

Huh..? Wait a minute..? There was really a Mr. Handy trimming the lawn?!

"As I live and breathe! Oh... It's really you, Miss Alice!"

That voice... That inimitable voice that Dad passed 3 hours to select... "Holy shit... Codsworth..? You're still here..? Then... Maybe others have survived..."

"Of course I'm still here. You didn't think that a little radiation would have harmed the pride of General Atomics, did you? But you don't seem in a good shape, it would be better if your parents don't see you like that." Using his circular saw on me would have hurt less. "Where are they, by the way?"

I staggered as I could still hear the two fatal shots in my head. "They... They have been murdered..."

One of the three lenses that Codsworth used as eyes blinked. "Miss Alice... Those things... Those horrible things you're saying. I think you need a distraction." Oh god, I forgot about his damn Health-Care program. "Yes! A distraction to fight against this depression. It is an eternity since our last familial activity. Why not playing your favorite game of chess? Or better, charades. Shaun likes them so much. Is he with you?"

Oh god! Oh god! I began to hyperventilate. "He... disappeared... Someone... kidnapped him... They took away my baby brother!"

"This is worse than what I thought. You are suffering from paranoia, probably due to hunger. This is the kind of thing that happened when you don't eat for two hundred years, I'm afraid."

This time I felt like a sledgehammer just hit me on the head. "200 years..? What..? What are you saying..?"

"A little more than 210 years to be precise, Miss Alice. Well more or less a few minutes because of the earth rotation and a small problem with my internal chronometer. This means you are two centuries late for dinner. Ha ha ha. Do you want me to prepare you a little snack? You must be famished."

I blinked at the robot. Something was wrong. "Codsworth? You're acting... a little bit weird. What's wrong?"

"I... I... Oh, Miss Alice, it was horrible. Two full centuries without anyone to talk to, no one to serve. I passed the first decade trying to wax the floors, but nothing can remove radioactive fallout stains from vinyl wood... Nothing! I'm not even talking about the futility of dusting a collapsed house. And the car. The car! How do you polish rust..?"

His AI seemed on the verge of rampancy. "Stay with me, old friend. Focus, please."

"I'm afraid I know nothing, Miss. The bombs came and you all went away in such a hurry. I thought for certain that you and your family were... dead..." One of its manipulators reached inside a compartment and retrieve an item. "I did find this holotape. I believe it was a surprise from your parents, but then well... everything happened..."

I took the offered item. "An holotape? What's on it?"

"I believe it's a private message for you, Miss. My etiquette protocols prevented me from reading it... Well, enough feeling sorry for myself. Do you wish to explore the area with me? We could find something about your family?"

I shook my head. "Too much time has passed... There nothing left in here... At least nothing actual on Shaun's location... Thanks, Codsworth, you're an example of loyalty."

"Thank you, Miss Alice. I will stay here and guard the house. Be careful, there are some nasty giant bugs that regularly come into town. Oh! One last thing. You should probably go to Concord."

"Concord? There still some people alive?"

"Yes, Miss. Oh, I wouldn't say they are that much sociable, a bit rough in fact, but they only throw me rocks and try to beat me with sticks the last time I went there. Go there and I'm sure you'll have some help."

Charming... I went into my ruined house... The roof was holding, but some walls and doors didn't resist either time or the inherent violence of this era. I almost laughed when I found my old comics "Grognak The Barbarian" but the old "You're SPECIAL" book made me shed some tears as it was the favorite book of Shaun. It was there that I decided to finally listen to the last words of my family.

It was a recording of Mum, Dad, and Shaun. Dad and Mum were praising me on how good I was doing at school, the projects for the future, that they were proud me and loved me, little things that only a family can talk about, the baby sounds of Shaun, the giggles of Mum, the chuckles of Dad... I found myself looking seriously at the business end of my 10 mm pistol... No... The temptation was there, but no... I promised... I will find Shaun. "I'm coming, Bro. Hang on..."

And so I explored Sanctuary with Codsworth... and fought against truly disgusting giants insects... Something called "bloatfly" by my Pip-Boy. I salvaged everything I could from the ruined houses including my... schoolgirl uniform..? Yes, a dirty and a little worn but still wearable school uniform, complete with my green blazer and brown tie... Well, I didn't want to be identified as a Vault-Dweller at first glance and the dark green was a better camouflage than blue, so it was cool... Although the skirt was a little short... But it showed up nicely my legs... I chuckled as I remembered that the Japanese Extra-dimensional Exiles were all females clad in a school uniform.

It was during my search that I found hidden stashes of... caps... Nuka-Cola caps... Used as money in this wasteland..? Like in Fallout 3..? Why not? However, the jackpot was a hideout in a cellar with food and clean water..! and a bottle of Nuka-Cola..! I greedily drunk the nectar of the gods... I was saved until I found a regular clean source of food and water... and Nuka-Cola... Three gold bars also should serve nicely for barter. I decided to make this hideout my temporary base until I found better.

Something strange in my loot was something my Pip-Boy identified as a "Pipe Gun" that used .38 caliber ammo. It was something visibly home-made from second-hand material, probably by the inhabitants of the Wasteland in the absence of salvaged weapons. It was... well crap compared to the weapons I knew of or had, but it used an ammo type easily found. Another surprise was finding 2 fragmentation grenades in a trash can... I resolved to open any and all containers I encountered in the future.

I crossed the still usable Old North Bridge and found the first evidence of the violence and cheap way of life of the Wasteland near the monument to the Minutemen: The corpse of a man killed by the same wild mutated mongrel he killed with a tire iron. I looted his weapons, ammo, and items but left his outfit. Wearing the clothes of a decomposed body..? Never..! At least until I found a way to do laundry.

There was also a stash of weapons hidden under the feet of the statue of the Minutemen... Truly, this world is very dangerous if the main thing stored by people is weapons.

I came upon a familiar view: The giant red rocket of the Red Rocket truck stop. I spied movement ahead and draw my pipe gun... A German Shepherd dog? Wait a minute, it looked like just... Was it possible..? "Dogmeat..? Is that really you..?"

The dog barked once and I found myself kneeling and petting it... him. "Impossible... and yet... You are Dogmeat... Or at least you look like him and you answer to the same name... Did you lost your master, boy?" He whined and leaned into my hand. "You want to come with me?" He licked my face. "Okay then. Let's stick together." I suddenly felt like I was the Lone Wanderer...

I explored and looted the truck stop with my new companion and it was a good thing. They suddenly jumped out of the ground and rushed us, jaws clapping: Molerats... A whole group of molerats that Dogmeat made short work. The powerful dog was obviously experienced with that vermin. My VATS helped tremendously putting a few bullets into their skulls. I embraced the wonderful dog, checking for wounds after the fight.

"Best friends forever."

In fact, Dogmeat helped me cleaned the area as there was a den under the Red Rocket. Many useful things salvaged, including a still-charged fusion core, a hard hat and numerous bruises and cuts that I bandaged. I did that because they were some crafting benches and a power armor station that I hoped would be useful later.

Dogmeat's nose was amazing. I asked him to search for anything useful and he guided me towards the water tower nearby where I found a full first-aid kit and stored clean water containers and a half-buried steamer trunk full of goodies including the first set of armor I came across. It was only reinforced leather with straps for the legs, arms, and chest, but it was better than nothing. I was beginning to look like a background extra in a Mad Max movie.

After that, curiously Dogmeat guided me back to the bridge and follow the riverside. I was perplexed, but I trusted him. He guided me to an electric water pump that I stopped and slowly walked the nearby hill following the water pipe. I understood that danger was around and followed him discretely. I found a skeleton nearby a water-locked container with a big stash of caps and medicines and... My eyes glowed with glee: A sub-nosed .44 pistol with a few ammo..! One of the most powerful handguns in the world... Score!

Molerats attacked us, but Dogmeat dispatched them easily. I only helped a little with my tire iron bashing their skulls. Damn, but they were very persistent vermin! Oh... a nice pair of sunglasses in the dead's luggage... I was really looking bad-ass now. After that, Dogmeat showed me why he was so prudent: There was a little camp nearby with... raiders... Fucking raiders, easily recognizable from their outfits, the first I encountered... From my past games in the Fallout series, I developed a visceral hatred of raiders.

The .44 pistol felt so heavy in my hand. I didn't know how, but I found myself slowly crawling to them, looking around if there was a sentinel. I cocked back the pistol's hammer and fired at the sleeping raider in front of me. The detonation seemed too big to my ears as I activated my VATS and aimed at the two others raiders who were awakening. Blam! Blam! I just killed three human beings cold-blooded... So much blood... I vomited what little I had in my stomach. Oh god, what did I do? What have I become? I felt Dogmeat trying to raise my spirit. This was no video game! This was the reality! They would have... They would have also killed me after probably raping me and even perhaps they would have fed on my dead corpse... I was in the Wasteland, in the Fallout setting... My life depended on my wits, luck, my companions, my armor and my weapons, especially how quick I could use them.

I looted them... It was the only logical thing to do after that. I needed to move on and search for my baby brother before I changed into a monster able and willing to put a bullet into anything on her path... Still, the presence of raiders could mean a den nearby. I signaled Dogmeat to search for our enemy and we sneaked away.

Well, yes, there was a den of raiders. Along with a treasure trove of ammo boxes and finally some armor for Dogmeat... After we killed two of them and their guard dog. It was just a leather apron that I could strap around his body along with a chain collar, but it was better than nothing and... Yes, I could easily improve on it later when I had time and material. I hesitated but finally took their drugs to use as barter for later.

Since I was at the summit of a big hill, I looked around to have a better idea of the area. This enabled me to find a robotics disposal ground that I vaguely remembered from the past... With molerats of course. I screamed in frustration as I bashed their skulls with the help of Dogmeat and my trusty iron tire. I found a non-functional but still intact Combat Sentry robot and... a Fat Man mini-nuke launcher..? What the hell did this most powerful and insane weapon was doing here?! Oh well, there was also some pretty good stuff around including a few intact reading magazines and a holotape with a method for activating and re-programing the Sentry... I decided against for now, but surely for later.

Dogmeat then guided me towards the most fantastic discovery. Near the wreck of a Vertibird was a rusty but intact full suit of T-45 power armor... Unbelievable... I had a few fusion cores to activate it, but I remembered Dad saying that power sources were a weakness of the suit. You needed a good supply of it to stay in the field... So I decided to take it back to Sanctuary to hide it and my Fat Man in my hideout. They were too visible, too powerful, too heavy and didn't have enough ammo and juice? Not worthy enough to haul it for now... But later? Oh yes... I kept the fusion cores with me and carefully hid the mini-nukes to prevent an easy theft if someone found my current base.

It was time to go for Concord.

* * *

Name: Alice Lindberg.

Level: 2.

Age: 16.

Hair: Black. Eyes: Green.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L:

Strength: 4. Perception: 4 (+1). Endurance: 4. Charisma: 5 (+2). Intelligence: 4. Agility: 4. Luck: 4.

Damage resistance: 13. Energy resistance: 26. Radiation resistance: 0.

Perk acquired:

Lone Wanderer.

Notable possessions:

Pip-Boy 3000 mark IV, 2 wedding rings, Hot Rodder issue #1 and Grognak the Barbarian issue #3.

Current Apparel:

Schoolgirl uniform green with a blazer, hard hat, sunglasses and a full set of light leather armor (chest, R/L leg and R/L arm).

Current favorite weapons:

10 mm pistol, pipe gun, and tire iron.


	3. Chapter 2: For whom the bell tolls

**THE LONE SISTER**

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this fic.

 **Chapter 2: For whom the bell tolls.**

I didn't have too much trouble using the dilapidated road to go to Concord. In fact, Dogmeat seemed to approve taking this path. I supposed there was too much risk for an ambush if I cut across country.

Which didn't mean there were zero risks. Dogmeat growled in warning as I saw the corpse of a... Brahmin? Yes, it was the standard beast of burden from the Fallout series, complete with its two heads and... being sucked of blood by two giant mosquitoes...

They were rather quick and I exchanged my pipe gun for a more useful short double-barrel shotgun, blasting them into pieces and guts at short range with buckshot. Ewww, I really didn't like giant insects, especially something called a "bloodbug".

I reached the quarter of Concord... It was as dilapidated as Sanctuary Hills. Most of the houses were barricaded, empty, in ruins and/or abandoned. The few I could explore, prompted by Dogmeat, were just good for a few this and that and ammo. I mainly stocked on cigarettes as I knew they were worth much in the Wasteland, at least according to Fallout 3. Gold and silver items also. I also took any banknotes of prewar money as some places could still use it as currency.

When we came near the town center, I began to hear shots in the vicinity: There was a fight close by. I drew my pipe rifle, the only long-range weapon I had and cautiously progressed on, Dogmeat staying near me, ready for attack.

It was near the Museum of Freedom that I saw them. A group of raiders was attacking the building. A lone man, using a strange laser weapon, was firing on them from the top balcony. I hated raiders...

I walked quickly semi-crouched to sneak in their back. A growl of Dogmeat warned me of the danger and I activated my VATS mode to line the raider trying to flank me with a... plank with nails?

I "nailed" him point blank in the guts: A horrible way to die. My shot warned his comrades of my presence and I dived for cover behind sand sacks. I aimed at a teenager rushing my position with handgun blazing and screaming bloody murder and put him down with two shots. The last two raiders were trading shots with the laser-man and I aimed at their back. Due to the distance and the fact that I was a beginner in using weapons, it took 4 shots before I killed a raider.

There was an impact on my right shoulder armor pad followed by intense pain. I just received a shot for the first time. This long instant of hesitation, when I realized that they were really shooting me, would have been my end as the final raider aimed at my head with her gun when Dogmeat, once again, saved my hide by jumping at the raider and biting her arm holding the gun. She tried to reach a knife in her back when I killed her in two shots after flanking her to not endanger Dogmeat.

"On the balcony!" That was the black man with the laser weapon who seemed relieved to see me. He gesticulated towards a body near the door of the museum. "I've got a group of settlers inside the building! The raiders are almost through the door top stairs! Grab that laser musket and help us. Please!"

I raised my thumb up and rushed to the weapon. A laser musket? It was some strange contraption, visibly made from elements of a laser rifle with a cranking wheel lever to charge up the weapon from a standard Fusion Cell. I quickly searched the body of the dead fellow (who was clothed like the black man) for more ammo and whistled Dogmeat before entering the museum.

I entered VATS mode again as soon as I passed the door as two raiders were shooting at something in the back of the building from the first and second floors above me and they just heard me entering. Wow, this laser musket was still a good weapon despite the need to reload by cranking it for each shot. The head of one and the torso of the other were reduced to ashes by my opening salvo.

To my stupefaction, the animatronics of the displays still functioned. Voices telling of the bloody history of the US from the American Revolution were activated by movement detectors. " _No more British occupation! Join or die! Back to England with you! You lobster-backed knaves! By the Crown, back to your homes!_ " Well, it helped to mask my approach from a raider who didn't see the shot in the back of his head coming at point blank range.

The interior of the museum was a little labyrinthine, but the raiders helped to guide me with their shouts. I sneaked upon two and wasted them by surprise with my 10 mm pistol. They were armored so no reason to take risks. The next one made me blink as the Mohawk female raider charging me was holding... a pool cue? Well, she wasn't that much armored and my laser musket burned a hole in her stomach. I paused before a still intact mural and couldn't help myself but read the plaque: " _This mural commemorates the many sacrifices of the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces. From Lexington and Concord to the shores of Iwo Jima, from the Sea of Tranquility to the Anchorage Front Line, Americans have fought and died through the ages to secure our nation's freedom. Mat their sacrifices remind us all that freedom is a privilege accorded to the many, yet hard won by a noble few._ "

I reached the second floor and heard the rest of the raiders. Dogmeat went solo and waited on the side of a door leading to the top interior walkway. Swearing that he would make me eat my gun whole, a raider exited in front of my friend and immediately begin to point his rifle at him, ignoring me in his back.

A fatal error and Dogmeat rushed inside, jumping over the still smoking corpse and nailed one of the last two raiders at the throat. The other one lifted an iron tire on Dogmeat. "Leave my dog alone!" And I promptly ventilated his torso. Truly, energy weapons were devastating.

I looked around to see if we didn't miss a raider and sighed in relief before knocking at a door the raiders were trying to break through. "Everything okay. I'm the one with the dog that you asked to take the laser musket." I heard people moving heavy things behind the door before it opened and I looked upon the people I just rescued.

The leader was a black man with a scared left cheek and with a more sophisticated-looking laser musket. He was strangely garbed with an old-time militia-style hat, leather gloves and a dark blue uniform with a green scarf under a gray trench-coat. Another man, clothed like a mechanic was entering things on a still functioning terminal. On my left were the settlers who looked warily in my direction. Well, my dark green school uniform, adorned with a battered Mad Max style leather armor, was harboring a few old and new bloodstains (mine and others). My bandaged legs were black and blue from bruises and I was armed like Rambo and Terminator combined, so I didn't think they were over-reacting too much.

The black man, still holding his musket at the ready with the barrel down nodded at me. "I don't know who you are, but your timing was impeccable. Preston Garvey of the Minutemen of the Commonwealth."

I blinked. "It was my privilege. Alice Lindberg of... nowhere in particular... But, the Minutemen..? "Ready to defend the people at a minute notice"? Those Minutemen? I feel like I've been traveling backward in time, during the American Revolution..."

Preston seemed a little surprised at my knowledge. "Yes. That was exactly the point of following their credo and make a difference: Ready to defend the people of the Commonwealth at a minute notice. But let's talk about it later. Right now, raiders are gathering for a second assault and they want us all dead." He sighed. "A month ago there were twenty of us. Yesterday, there were eight! Now, we're five..."

I winced and shook my head. "This world changed so much... Sounds very rough."

Preston raised an eyebrow. "Thanks. It's good to meet someone who really cares, but... Are you alright? Listen we need your help and perhaps later we could lend you a hand. What is the reason of your presence here?"

I sighed and looked down. "My baby brother, Shaun was kidnapped." I shook my head and closed my eyes. "He's not even a year old..."

It was the turn of Preston to wince. "Damn! That's horrible. Sorry... This world is without pity. First, there were the ghouls in Lexington and now... that."

I blinked. Did I hear right? The same zombie-like things in Fallout 3? "Ghouls..? What's that?"

Preston was a little flabbergasted. "You're really not from around. Ghouls are... irradiated people. Most of them are like you and me. They have a horrible face and lived longer than average. But they're still people. But some ghouls have their brains rotted by the radiations and they became feral. As soon as they see you, they want only one thing: ripping you into pieces. In brief, we thought we could settle in Concord but those raiders proved us wrong." Then he smiled for the first time. "But we're not out yet and we do have one idea."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Preston turned to the mechanic. "Sturges, please explain to her."

The young man turned from the computer to me and for a few instants seemed to glance at my feminine features. "There's a crashed Vertibird upon the roof. Old school, prewar. You may have seen it." Nope, I didn't as I was more concerned with the raiders shooting at me. "Well, looks like one of its passengers left us a seriously sweet goody. We're talking about an authentic Power Armor model T-45. Military issue."

I whistled softly with big eyes. "I like it."

Sturges chuckled and smiled. "Yeah, I thought you might. An excellent protection with an added bonus. Get the suit and you can rip off the mini-gun from the Vertibird. Do that and those raiders get an express ticket to Hell. You dig?"

"A mini-gun?" I was smiling like a shark. "Now, we're talking about."

"No doubt... but there's one little hitch. The armor is out of juice. Its power cell is probably empty since a good century. It can be recharged but for that, we need another battery."

Preston nodded. "We need to find a prewar standardized Fusion Core. Your high-grade long-term nuclear battery used by the Army and some private societies in the past. There is one in this very building."

Sturges sighed. "But we can't access it. It's down in the basement, locked behind a security gate. Listen, I'm a mechanic. I repair things, I tinker. Bypassing security systems isn't really my forte. But you, you can try it."

I smiled and reached inside my backpack. "We're in luck. I found a couple some time ago."

Preston sighed in relief. "Excellent. Perhaps luck is finally smiling at us. Once you have recharged the power armor and taken the mini-gun, show those raiders they made the last error of their life." He nodded at me. "Good luck, I'll support you from the balcony."

I nodded then promptly unload my weapons and most of my armor into my backpack before trusting it to Sturges. A military power armor is not that roomy inside. Generally, you can only wear a skintight suit (designed to help with the controls) or a specifically designed military infantry armor inside a power suit. But Dad told me that in an emergency, a layer of clothes like civilian clothing wouldn't interfere with the functions. I only took a fusion core, my 10 mm pistol (which trigger guard and grip were adapted for power armor use) and a switchblade just in case.

I knelt in front of Dogmeat. "Alright buddy, listen. I can't take you with me for this. Too many enemies, too much chance of being killed and you won't be armored like me. So, I want you to stay here and wait with those people my return, okay?" He whined a little but seemed to understand the situation.

"Oh my... If it isn't Dogmeat. And you seemed to have received an upgrade in protection." I turned to a settler who was an old woman with almost milky eyes and was clothed almost like a gypsy. She was petting Dogmeat who seemed to recognize her.

I smiled and approached them. "Is he your dog, madam?"

She smiled. "Oh no. Dogmeat is his own dog. He just took you as his friend and he's very loyal to his friends. But it's not about me and him that you should be worried about." She seemed to gaze into nothing. "Something has been rattled by the fight. Something powerful and full of wrath and hatred. Scales, big claws, and teeth..."

I blinked and looked at her intently. "You're... a seer?"

She laughed. "That old term? Yes, you could say that Mama Murphy is a seer... but not an old term for you, right? It's the drugs who help me see. And it was this way since I was a little girl."

I nodded. "Scales, big claws, and teeth... Can you tell me more?"

She hesitated. "It's coming from... below and behind the raiders. And it's angry, very angry. Expect no quarter my lost child."

I patted the old lady on her hand. "Thank you, Mama Murphy." Big, scales, claws and teeth? That described too many critters from the Fallout series... I hoped it wasn't the more obvious... Huh... Was that an actual Perception bobblehead and a copy of RobCo Fun with the Atomic Command mini-game holotape on a desk? Well, they were still valuable collectibles and I put them quickly in my backpack.

I climbed up to the roof access and paused to admire the power armor. Granted I had another identical suit in Sanctuary Hills. And it was a good thing I already trained with it before tackling the raiders. Speaking of them I could hear a man, who the others named Gristle, haranguing his troops for another assault. Well, let us prepare him a little surprise. There was also a holotape of the late last owner, one sergeant Micheal Daly from 2 centuries ago... May he rest in peace.

I extracted the empty fusion core and put a fully-charged one in the wheel-shaped power socket at the back of the suit and then triggered the opening of the power armor by turning the power socket one quarter to the left. It opened from the back by lifting up the upper back torso and separating the back plates of the groin area, arms, and legs. I grabbed the two handles at chest level designed for that and put first my feet into the leg slots. I then put my arms into the opened sleeves and hit the chin button to close the suit over me. The HUD of the helmet powered up and activated the status screens. Huh... A full charge on the fusion core, no dangerous levels of radiation, the navigation system was already updating from my Pip-Boy, but the armor status showed that the left arm and right leg were already damaged and were at 50% of damage capacity... Well, we'll have to do with it. Still, I was within something designed to give one man the defensive power of a tank and could also prevent any falling damage by an ingenious system based on electromagnetic motive systems and an absorbing padding. Any US military power armor was a LANO-type of deployable unit: Low Altitude No Opening.

I climbed into the crashed Vertibird's bay and ripped off the 5 mm mini-gun from its support. The armor automatically interfaced with the weapon giving me its state and ammo status. I chuckled. Two drums, the one on it with still 320 bullets and another full one with 500 bullets. Let's go and make some cheese.

A raider was posted on the roof of the building just in front of the museum. "Hey! There's something moving on the roof!" You can bet your ass there's something moving. I first activated the rotary motor of the weapon: A mini-gun is best effective when the rotation speed of its barrels is at max. "Say hello to my little friend!" I pushed down the trigger of the ammo rail. The mini-gun unleashed a salvo that made hamburger from the roof raider.

I reached the end of the museum roof and took note of the numbers and positions of the attacking raiders. They were hesitating. Good. I jumped down and landed with the same grace and power than an Iron Man power armor from Marvel.

I then walked towards my enemies, deliberately ignoring their bullets pinging over my armor and hit again the ammo trigger. Above and behind me, Garvey Preston took carefully aimed shots at any raiders staying in the open, rendering several of them into smoking burnt skeletons. I carefully walked a burst on three raiders hindered by a wall and sand sacks, slaughtering them. I then turn to the leader Gristle that was swearing like a sailor and back-walking while firing at me with skill as two bullets hit my helmet. I hosed him down to break their morale. It worked as they began to retreat, but I couldn't afford to let them shot us in the back later. I mercilessly opened fire and mowed them down. A car in the back, hit with too many stray bullets, exploded as its fusion battery was cracked, taking two other raiders with it.

It was then that a roar literally shook the very air around us. I swore I could feel it even inside my armor. A very heavy metallic ground-plate was punched into the air as something big, scaly and with big claws and teeth emerged from underground and behind what was left of the raider group.

A... Deathclaw... A DEATHCLAW!? Oh shit! Oh shit! One of the most fucking dangerous creatures of the entire Fallout series! I immediately back-pedaled while still keeping it in my eyesight. The monster rushed towards the surviving raiders and ripped them into bloody chunks.

Keep calm! Keep calm, Alice! What was the best tactics against a deathclaw in your long past games... Well, running away like hell, having a missile launcher and a large distance or better the Fat Man I, of course, left back in Sanctuary Hills would be great... A plasma weapon, too...

The big monster achieved to eradicate the raiders and turned his wrathful eyes towards me... Big monster..? THAT WAS IT! Its volume! It was too big for some area and you could block him outside some buildings. I turned back to the only brick, concrete and metal building that I saw near the museum after unleashing the last burst of my current ammo drum. I ejected it while running and put the new drum in place when I was inside the target building. Irritated by my shots and bleeding a little, the deathclaw took the bait and rushed towards me. I took a solid position and opened fired on the monster. It hammered at my refuge and tried to catch me with his long reach, but I had still a place to retreat and climb up the stairs without ceasing my controlled bursts. The barrels of my mini-gun glowed red, then yellow and crept towards the white. My status screen was screaming imminent weapon failure but I still maintained a steady and precise stream of bullets on the deathclaw. And finally, it collapsed with a last roar and I was left the only standing living being outside the Museum of Freedom.

I unlocked my helmet and took big gulps of air to try to cool a little. Talk about an adrenaline rush... I almost peed into my panties when I saw that deathclaw. I put back my helmet and walk towards the museum, letting the air conditioning system dealing with my sweat.

Seemed like Preston already gathered his charges. The group was waiting just behind the main door. The Minuteman was waiting for me with a smile on his scarred face. "That was a pretty impressive display. I'm happy you're on our side."

I unlocked anew my helmet and nodded in return. "Will everything be alright for you, now?"

He had a bittersweet smile. "Yes... At least for a time. Listen, when we first met you said it was your privilege to help us. Well, you hold your promise and we all owe you our lives. So here is for you, you've earned it." He handed me a sack of caps and an ammo pouch of fusion cells. He shrugged. "Not much but it's the least we can do to thank you."

I chuckled. "Thanks, but I didn't do that for money."

He winced. "Hey, sorry. I'm too used to mercenaries: People caring only for themselves."

Mama Murphy then entered the conversation. "But your destiny won't stop here, right? I've seen it and I know your pain."

I blinked. True, she was a seer, but what was she seeing. "My destiny? What do you mean?"

Once again, her milky blue eyes gazed on me and my soul. "You're both a young and an old human. You're out of time, out of this world and out of hope. But all's not lost. I can feel your brother's energy. He's alive."

I gasped and knelt in front of her. "Please Mama Murphy... Where is my brother? Where is Shaun?"

She sighed. "I would like to know that, my girl, but it's not as if I could see him. The "Sight" is weird and it's not always clear. I just feel his vital force, his energy and I know he's there somewhere and I don't need my vision to tell you where you should start looking first. The great, green jewel of the commonwealth: Diamond City, the biggest settlement around."

I was perplexed. "Diamond City? A clue about Shaun there?"

She sighed again and leaned back into her seat. "Look, I'm tired now. Maybe you can bring me some chems later and the Sight will get a clearer picture."

Chems? Did she mean drugs? Not a very good idea. Even Preston was of the same advice. "No! Mama Murphy, we talked about this. That junk. It's gonna kill you."

She waved him away. "Ha, hush Preston. We're all gonna die sooner or later. We'll need the Sight. And our new friend here, she's going to need it too. Now, let's get going. Sanctuary awaits."

Preston turned to the settlers who were waiting nearby. "Alright folks. Thanks to our friend here, it's safe to move out. We head for the place Mama Murphy knows about: Sanctuary."

One of the settlers, one Marcy Long didn't seem that enthusiast. She was even almost hostile. Sturges reminded her that they had little choice on that matter. The other settler, one Jun Long, seemed shocked and simply followed the group.

I asked a little time from Preston to gather any salvageable possession from the raiders. Mostly ammo, weapons, stimpaks and some pieces of armor. No reason to not properly equip the settlers now that we have a supply and the various locks I encountered helped me perfecting my lock-picking skill.

We then walked towards Sanctuary Hills with me at the point with my mini-gun ready. Thankfully, since I took this path earlier, there wasn't too much problem on the way, just some molerats, and giant insects. Sturges commented on the Red Rocket truck stop that not only should haul a trove of useful resources but would be a dream place for him. Mama Murphy did also surprise me when she took a knife on the remnants of the creatures I killed and cut some parts of them. She smiled at my questioning and said I would see later.

Preston Garvey then found the monument consecrated to the Minutemen of the American Revolution and considered that a good sign. Finally, we reached back my old home: Sanctuary.

* * *

Name: Alice Lindberg.

Level: 3.

Age: 16.

Hair: Black. Eyes: Green.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L:

Strength: 4. Perception: 5 (+1). Endurance: 4. Charisma: 5 (+2). Intelligence: 4. Agility: 4. Luck: 4.

Damage resistance: 13. Energy resistance: 26. Radiation resistance: 0.

Perk acquired:

Locksmith.

Notable possessions:

Pip-Boy 3000 mark IV, 2 wedding rings, Perception BobbleHead, Hot Rodder issue #1, Taboo Tattoos issue#10 and Grognak the Barbarian issue #3.

Current Apparel:

Schoolgirl uniform green with a blazer, hard hat, sunglasses and a full set of light leather armor (chest, R/L leg and R/L arm).

Current favorite weapons:

10 mm pistol, pipe gun, pipe rifle, shotgun, short laser musket, switchblade and tire iron.


	4. Chapter 3: Ready to defend people

**THE LONE SISTER**

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this fic.

 **Chapter 3: Ready to defend people at a moment's notice.**

Our group including Preston Garvey, settlers, me and Dogmeat finally reached Sanctuary. Preston made a round of the area and actually smiled. He nodded and turned to me. "I should have listened to Mama Murphy all along. A pretty nice place she's found for us. I think we could settle down here, make it a place to call home. What do you think?"

I chuckled with a bittersweet smile and looked around, eyes shining. "Yes, it is a good place but it'll be strange having people back here... I used to live here before the war... before everything was destroyed."

Preston blinked. "What do you mean? The war? Before what war? Are you saying..."

I gazed into his eyes. "I am the Sole Survivor of this entire town and my family who lived here 2 centuries ago. When the bombs fell, we rushed to the nearby Vault 111 and we were... cryogenized, frozen... Unknown people came and interrupted the process a little while ago. They killed my parents, kidnapped my baby brother and left me behind... But I will find them! I will find Shaun!"

I managed to flabbergast him. "Damn, I'm sorry. You're like one of those old prewar ghouls... And I didn't run across any kidnapped babies before meeting you, but I'll definitely keep an eye out for him. Anyway... I am glad you're here. And I hope you don't mind, but I've got another favor to ask. I've had word from a settlement asking for help. They're still hoping there are Minutemen out there somewhere. The only chance to start rebuilding the Minutemen is to show people that they can count on us when they need us. Trouble is, I've got my hands full here. And frankly, you're a little young to be on the front-line, but... Do you think you could go help out the settlement?"

I blinked rapidly... and... yes... Yes! I really wanted to help people because I needed help also. This wasn't me wanting to do a remake of the Fallout 4 I heard of, but... I wanted, I needed to help people, to do something, to make a difference... For Evil to flourish, people just need to do nothing... No... Never again! "Hum... What kind of help do they need?"

"Sounded like the usual: Raiders. You'll have to get all the details when you talk to them."

And I was sold. I hated raiders. "Then yes. I'll help them."

"That's fantastic. The Minutemen could really use more people like you. By the way, if you want to help out around here at all, talk to Sturges. I'm sure he'd be glad for all the help he can get."

We then heard Mama Murphy yelling that lunch was ready. Ha... finally. At last a hot meal composed of... grilled radroaches..?! And... baked bloatflies..?!

Mama Murphy then proceeded to completely traumatize me by putting "your own portion, my dear girl" in front of me: A piping hot deathclaw steak... After all, I did kill it.

I was a little pale and really not that enthusiast, especially as the settlers and Preston ate heartily. I forced my self to chew a bit and... it was surprisingly good and nutritious... Never thought such disgusting insects and creatures could be prepared like that. Especially as the recipe specifically reduced the rad contamination to a relatively safer level. Fortunately, drinks were either purified water or alcohol-based ones and much more palatable.

Mama Murphy laughed at the various expressions I had during the lunch, but still smiled as she presented to me "something I have no need unlike you, my dear girl": A cooking book of the Wasteland with various recipes such as vegetable soup, noodle cup, molerat chunks and mutt chops... I really and seriously thought about living only of salvageable food items from 2 centuries ago and the fuck with my rad count.

Still, my hunger and thirst were truly satisfied since I first left the vault. I held a cup of what was used as a caffeine source in the Commonwealth (hardly worthy of a name) and renewed my discussion with Preston about what to do now.

"Alright, let's prioritize. First, I'm going to present you and Sturges to Codsworth. He was the Mr. Handy unit my family owned and he should be helpful around. Second, I'll go to the settlers as they need the help immediately but I'll store the power armor here as I don't have a sufficient reserve of fusion cores to regularly use it. Third, after I return, I'll show you another robot that I have the override code and we'll decide if we want it to defend Sanctuary. And fourth, I'll see what Sturges need."

Preston nodded with a little admiration showing in his eyes. "Alright... What sort of robot do you have on hand?"

I smiled. "A prewar Combat Sentry."

He visibly paled. "One of those killer machines! They're very dangerous!" He stopped himself and nodded. "Which is why you'll be waiting for me after you help the settlement so that we can take a decision together. Prewar weapons can be good or bad, depending on when they were built and how you use them."

I began to nod and then suddenly stopped as I remembered something I should have checked when I first exited the vault. I face-palmed. "I can't believe I forget that... Come, Preston, we have a Mr. Handy unit to see."

Codsworth was nearby my house, he was... trimming the geraniums..? Really, Codsworth? "Ah! Miss Alice! Back again and not alone I see."

I smiled to him. "Yes, Codsworth. I make some new friends. And they're going to help rebuild the place. This is Preston Garvey from the Minutemen of the Commonwealth."

The robot turned to the black man who nodded back. "A militia? And named after US history? That sounds very good. Good afternoon, Mister Garvey. I am Codsworth and it would be my pleasure to help you and your men returning Sanctuary Hills to its past beauty."

Preston chuckled. "It'll be a little difficult to do that in the wasteland, but I'll settle for a place where more people could come and live in relative safety."

The robot seemed to smile with his three eyes. "Good, I'm looking towards it. And Miss Lindberg? I am no Mr. Gutsy unit, but if you require my services outside, I'll be there."

"Good Codsworth because I'll definitely take you on my journey to find Shaun after I help some people. But first, I have a question. Where did my Dad hide his family steamer trunk? The one he showed us during each Independence Day holidays?"

Codsworth blinked. "By my transistors! I actually forget about that! Oh dear, it must be quite rusted after so long. Still, I'll find it for you and see what I can do."

I sighed. "You do that. Alright, Preston, I'm off if there's nothing else."

"Just one moment. Since you're part of the Minutemen now, you have to look the part." He extracted another Militia Hat from his backpack, took away my hard hat and put it on my head.

I raised an eyebrow. "Do I look good?"

He laughed. "A real Minuteman. Now go, be careful and good luck."

I whistled my best buddy Dogmeat and off we went.

* * *

The settlement asking for help was called Tenpines Bluff and was East of Sanctuary Hills. We reached it without too much difficulty (just a few creatures and insects intending on feeding on us and one group of raiders wanting my stuff and my life, not necessarily in that order).

It was built in the hills around a few small shacks. It had a small farm with tato plants and a dozen settlers following a brother and sister as leaders. I approached in plain sight, Dogmeat at my side, with my weapons visible but holstered and announced myself when I saw they detected me.

"Hello, there." Yeah... a real spiffy introduction, Alice.

"Hello..." They were suspicious and one of them covered me with a pipe rifle. Sensible. Their spokesperson was a woman.

"Didn't you ask for Minutemen help? Well, I'm it." I point to my hat and my laser musket. They seemed rather puzzled.

"You're with the Minutemen? We didn't really think you fellas still existed... So young... Are they recruiting again..? Oh well, it's not relevant." They relaxed and the weapons were pointed down. "We sent word with one of the passing traders, but honestly we... I never expected anything to come of it. I mean some of us are ex-Minutemen but since the slaughter of Quincy..."

I frowned. Quincy..? Later perhaps. "So what's the trouble with you guys?"

She bitterly chuckled. "Oh, yeah. I'm damn glad you're here. There's a raider gang that's been giving us trouble for weeks. Stealing food and supplies, threatening to kill us all if we don't do what they want." She sighed. "We know where they're coming from, but we can't go up against a well-armed gang like that."

I gravely nodded. "I understand. Consider them history. Where should I go?"

She seemed surprised I answered so easily. "It's called Walden Pond, North-West from here, if you have a map..?" I used my Pip-Boy to record the coordinates of the place and rushed towards it, Dogmeat on my heels.

I dodged around several sites (the auto-mapping function of my Pip-Boy was invaluable) as I wanted to be there before the night and also didn't want to use my resources or be wounded before the fight I was anticipating.

It was rather ironic that I knew about that particular place. I visited it during one of the school travels. It was there that the preserved cabin of Henry David Thoreau stood, complete with an audio tour sponsored by General Atomics International. With a nice sick meaning hidden since Thoreau was an author and philosopher of transcendentalism and thus the humble message of Thoreau was immediately contradicted by consumerism and the corporate involvement in prewar life.

The target area was near a highly irradiated small pond that I circled around. The cabin was empty (with a still operational automated tour box...), but the gift shop wasn't. Thanks to the snarling of Dogmeat, I found and disarm some booby-traps here and there. One was even triggered by the proximity sensor of a clapping-cymbal monkey doll... Talk about jury-rigging.

On the locked, from the inside, back door was a note held by a knife: " _Tweez, if you are reading this, then you're an idiot. This is the last time I tell you, we're locking this door. Use the entrance in the sewer pipe. Next time you forget, I'm locking your ass out permanently. -Walter._ "

Dogmeat and I looked at each other as if the inherent stupidity of the raiders wasn't... well, we really didn't know what to properly think about it, but I remembered clearly from my Fallout games in the past, raiders, armed with simple guns and melee weapons and a few pieces of armor, charging recklessly towards my heavily armed and armored character...

The sewer pipe was easy to found as it was outside the cabin on the edge of the pond. We slowly and stealthily entered the long pipe. I could already hear voices inside. One Tweez (well here's the idiot) and Bear were talking about Thoreau and Transcendentalism (Was I in the Fourth Dimension? Where's Rod Serling?) and didn't hear us until we rushed out of his hiding place.

Dogmeat jumped at the throat of Bear (probably to bark his arguments about Thoreau at point blank range) and my switchblade found the neck of Tweez (as I was cutting through his bullshit). They both died gurgling in their own blood (and thus lost the argument). Their relatively silent deaths allowed us to sneak up on the leader Walter and his second-in-command he called Whiplash.

This time I didn't risk sneaking on them. Too much light in their room so I cranked my laser musket. The noise warned them but too late as I entered VATS mode and targeted their heads. Zap! Zap! Headshot!

This time I stripped their corpses as I had someone who could do laundry back in Sanctuary (thank you Codsworth) and I looted completely clean the place. I threw their bodies in the sewer pipe and decided against traveling back at Tenpines Bluff in the middle of the night, too much potential danger. I blocked the sewer entry, chained the gift shop back door and found a not too dirty place to sleep. My loyal Dogmeat even lets me use him as a pillow. Still, my night was agitated as everything that happened was revisited in my dreams and nightmares. I woke up in sweat more than once and only the presence of Dogmeat prevented me to break down in hysteria.

As the sun began to rise, I walked back to the settlement. They were almost all taking care of the farm plants and were very surprised to see me this soon and victorious. The brother took me apart to talk.

"Listen, the people, my sister and me we talked about you and the Minutemen after you left and... Well, look around."

I saw a few people among the settlers that were harboring here and there, pieces of equipment that belonged to the Minutemen: A laser musket, a militia hat or a dark blue vest. I smiled.

"We decided to join the movement. You helped us without asking for anything, so it'd be pretty ungrateful of us to turn our back on other folks. As you proved, if we want things to get better, we've got to start helping each other."

I nodded. "We've just begun an arduous task. Our current base is the new settlement Sanctuary, West from here. And we take only volunteers in our rank. If we are to protect the people of the Commonwealth,..."

All the newly returned Minutemen around me continued. "We are to be ready at a moment's notice!"

This time I grinned and saluted them perfectly, military style. "We will contact you later as we gather more and more people and resources. Protect this place well, gentlemen."

After we gracefully accepted an offered breakfast, Dogmeat and I returned promptly to Sanctuary Hills. As I approached my old hometown, I was agreeably surprised to see more people inside. At least a dozen of new settlers, each helping by gathering raw materials or repairing and rebuilding the dilapidated houses.

Preston, Sturges, and Codsworth seemed to take pleasure leading and helping the effort of those people. I sure was happy to see the ghost town returning to life.

I waved at my new friends and went directly to Preston. "Good news, Preston. You know that settlement, Tenpines Bluff, you sent me to help? They've decided to join the Minutemen. There were even a few ex-Minutemen returning to the fold."

The black man laughed. "That's great news! I have my doubts because of your age, but you were really the right person for the job." He sighed in relief. "We're limited to hand-held radio range for now, but still we should reinstate some useful tricks we developed in the past." He showed me a flare gun. "Once we have sufficient numbers, launching a red flare with one of those will signal for help from any nearby Minutemen. Once we get more allied settlements and more people joining or returning to us, we'll have help where ever we need it."

He looked at me seriously as I was handling the loot from the raiders to the settlers nearby since many of those should help in the future... Especially the armors and the weapons. He seemed to reach an interior decision and nodded to himself. "So... there's something I need to ask you." He sighed. "I guess you know I'm one of the last of the Minutemen, but I never really told you what happened to us."

I blinked. "What about those men and women I met in Tenpines Bluff. They did have Minutemen equipment."

"Yes, they are part of a lot of former Minutemen who gave it up in disgust after the Quincy Massacre. But we were the last active group of Minutemen. And now, well... it's just me."

I frowned. "I heard this term before, but I didn't ask then. What was the Quincy Massacre."

"Of course you heard of it. By now, everyone in the Commonwealth knows about that." He shrugged. "I was with Colonel Hollis's group. A mercenary group called the Gunners was attacking Quincy so the people there called for the Minutemen to help." He shook his head. "We were the only ones that came. The other groups... They just turned their backs. On us, and the folks in Quincy." He bit his lower lip. "Only a few of us got out alive. Colonel Hollis was dead. So I ended up in charge of the survivors." He gazed into his past. "We never found a safe place to settle. One disaster after another... Yourself saw how it ended, in Concord."

I nodded. "Preston, I'm a teenage girl. I hardly know how to properly react. But from the example of my Dad and my Mum, as long as you don't give up, the Minutemen will never die."

"Your parents were right. I'm not about to give up, but I am only one man. I can hardly protect the Commonwealth all by myself. I could barely protect our settlers. That's why, after observing you, I'm talking to you. I can't rebuild the Minutemen... but I'm now almost certain you can."

I blinked and looked at him with round eyes. "You can't be serious. I'm repeating myself, but I'm just a 16 years old girl, born 2 centuries ago. I intend to search the Commonwealth high and low for my little bro. Why can't you lead the Minutemen?"

"Because that's not my nature. I can get my men through a firefight. I can defend a perimeter against all odds. But that's not the quality needed to bring the Minutemen back from the brink. We simply need someone who has the leadership necessary to bring the whole Commonwealth together in a common cause. And I now think that you are developing into that capable leader."

I sighed, put my hands on my hips and looked down, shaking my head. "I don't know Preston. This is a big responsibility for someone out of time like me." I snorted. "Hey, if they protest about my age I could truthfully say I'm 226 years old..." It was a dilemma. Taking that mantle would help the people and significantly boost my chances of finding Shaun. But it was a life commitment... It could take months, even years before I accomplished anything worthy in either case... Well, there was also the fact I did accept Preston offer at the beginning: I wanted to join the Minutemen. Could I also lead them? The lives I took before proved that it was very easy to die in the Wasteland, in the Fallout series...

I took my decision and looked back straight into his eyes. "Okay... I'm in... I'll do it."

Preston beamed. "Good. If you have been sure, it would have been a sign you weren't. Welcome aboard. I feel like this is a whole new start for the Minutemen and the Commonwealth too." I was still feeling iffy about this. "Don't worry, I'll be right beside you all the way... General."

My jaw fell on the ground (it sure feels like it... I think). "Why the hell are you calling me "General"?"

He looked seriously at me. "The leader of the Minutemen has always held the rank of General, regardless of sex, age or experience. Our last great leader was General Becker. After he died back in 2282, nobody could agree on who should take his place." He chuckled. "And the one good thing about being the last Minuteman is there's no one to argue with me when I say you're the new General."

I opened my mouth and raised my finger and then stopped. "I really want to but... I can't argue with your logic. Still... Me... A teenager... General..?"

He shrugged. "Now it's your job to make it more than an empty title."

Seized by the solemn instant, I smartly saluted him military-style. He promptly returned the salute then we smiled and grasped our hands mutually as equal.

Sturges snorted as he interrupted us. "Well, if you have finished? We could use some help if you are willing to do some work."

I shrugged. "Of course, Sturges. What kind of help do you need?"

"Well, for starters we could use some real beds. We've been sleeping on the ground for too long."

In brief, the settlers needed food, water, and shelter rapidly if we didn't want them to be too exhausted. Sturges wanted "some intelligent people" leading small groups into doing what was needed for everybody. Preston sure knew how to build things and whatnot in the Wasteland, but I had some ideas of my own.

The settlers were surprised when I took out my two T-45 Power Armors and used them with Preston to haul heavy recyclable materials into separate mounds for construction. It was trivial to repair and shored up the leaking roofs and the holed walls of the houses still standing. The various beds of 2 centuries ago were all rotted, but putting down a steel structure with some makeshift mattress was really easy. The water table was still clean and accessible and the strength of a power armor enabled us to drill conduits for hand-cranked water pumps. I then listened to Preston who pointed the three main access paths to Sanctuary and it was just a matter of putting some sand sacks and wooden fortifications to properly bar them from eventual hostile intruders. Sturges assured me he could wipe out some autonomous MG turrets for later besides, all the settlers were armed and armored thanks to me and the loot I brought back from raiders (hey, love the irony there). Having our farm area operational was a little more difficult, but we managed to plant plenty of good crops in a fertile part of the town.

Sanctuary was slowly returning to life and starting to feel really like home... Wasteland fashion... of course... We still have a long road ahead.

The day after we finished our first upgrades to our settlement, Codsworth came to find me. I was back into my parents' house. I had too much history here to let it for others. Still, I cleaned it from almost everything (although I kept the pieces of Shaun's crib and mobile), put my bed in my old room, convert my late parents' room into a storage, the laundry into a small armory (my cellar hideout remained the main armory of Sanctuary) and made the living room a meeting room with associated kitchen. Only the bathroom stayed the bathroom... If only I had running water... Later, I hoped. Surprisingly, being at home and with Dogmeat at the feet of my bed, I slept more easily than the first night in the Wasteland.

"Good morning, Miss Alice. I am here to report you good news. I found the steamer trunk of your dad. Unfortunately, the contents were rusted by 2 centuries of neglect, but I have a little surprise for you. Follow me, please."

Intrigued, I followed the Mr. Handy unit back to Sturges's workshop in the house in front of mine. The mechanic was here along with Preston and Mama Murphy... They all had small smiles. What was going on?

Codsworth waved at a nearby bench. "And here we are, General Lindberg. This is our surprise."

I blinked and tears leaked as I contemplated the restored treasures of my family. Old weapons accumulated from the past history of the US and from foreign fields of battle. A Colt M1873 SAA "Peacemaker", 6 shots caliber .45, civilian model with a 12 cm barrel and its western-like leather holster, the most popular weapon of the Western era. The very rifle of my great great great grandfather, a Springfield M1C Garand sniper version, 8 shots caliber .308 and with an X 2.5 scope and its bayonet, the US Army standard rifle during WW2. And finally but not the least, a fine quality 99 Shiki Guntou (type 99 army blade) Japanese Katana, the machine-made issued "samurai sword" during WW2 with its sheath.

And they have been repaired, oiled and properly maintained after their two centuries slumber. I turned to the group with shining eyes. "... thank you..."

Sturges shrugged. "Hey, no skin off my nose. Those jewels were too beautiful to be left like that. Their ammo types are not common in the Commonwealth, but they're not rare also. So you should find a few available with any vendors or traders." He grinned. "I'll teach you later how to upgrade and modify them."

Mama Murphy came forward with a big sack of leather-made items. "Here's from me, my dear girl. I made this set of leather armor myself. They have been properly reinforced and are lighter than an average set. I "saw" them saving your hide a few times."

I smiled and took the offered gifts. "Wait a moment, I'll be back shortly." I went back to my house, changed my outfit and put on my new possessions. When I came back, Preston's eyebrows raised, Sturges whistled in admiration and Mama Murphy clapped her hands.

Codsworth turned around me to look at my new appearance. "My word, Miss Alice. You've never been so... stunning, I would say." Dogmeat barked in approval.

I was clad in a laundered and thus clean dark blue version of my school uniform with the blazer although it was covered partly by my new leather armor. On my back, separated by my backpack, was the holstered M1C Garand and laser musket. On my left hip was my sheathed Katana and on the right was my holstered Colt "Peacemaker". The bayonet of the Garand was sheathed in my belt on the back and I hid a switchblade in my right combat boot. A left shoulder holster with my 10 mm pistol and holding the standard Minutemen short-range radio completed my weaponry. A militia-style hat and a pair of sunglasses rounded my new attire.

"Alright. Thanks again for the gifts, I'll use them well. Codsworth, Preston. We're going on a journey." I turned towards the Commonwealth. "They are people out there needing help, our help. And that includes Shaun. Let's go and make some good... But first, let's go and see if we can use that prewar Combat Sentry in the Robotics Ground Disposal to protect Sanctuary."

* * *

Name: Alice Lindberg.

Level: 4.

Age: 16.

Hair: Black. Eyes: Green.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L:

Strength: 4. Perception: 5 (+1). Endurance: 4. Charisma: 5 (+3). Intelligence: 4. Agility: 4. Luck: 4.

Damage resistance: 21. Energy resistance: 43. Radiation resistance: 0.

Perk acquired:

Hacking.

Notable possessions:

Pip-Boy 3000 mark IV, 2 wedding rings, Perception BobbleHead, Hot Rodder issue #1, Taboo Tattoos issue#10, Tales of a Junk-town Jerky Vendor issue #7 and Grognak the Barbarian issue #3.

Current Apparel:

Schoolgirl uniform dark blue with a blazer, militia hat, sunglasses and a full set of girded light leather armor lighter-build (chest, R/L leg and R/L arm).

Current favorite weapons:

10 mm pistol, short laser musket, .45 Colt "Peacemaker", .308 M1C Garand with small scope, bayonet, switchblade, and Katana.

Achievements unlocked:

When Freedom Calls.

The First step.


End file.
